If money was no object we’d all store our guns in a bank-quality vault. Of course the reality is that we all have a budget. Below, recommendations for top rated gun safes are broken into 3 different protection categories:

RSC is the highest rating that 99% of gun safes meet. But gun safe prices range from the hundreds to the tens of thousands of dollars. Despite the huge range in prices, they all have the exact same RSC security rating.

Safe technicians who drill open locked safes for a living disagree about a lot of things. They do all agree on one thing though. They agree that despite the premium price tags of high-end RSCs, there is not much difference in real security between them and a cheap RSC.

Most of the “features” offered in this cheap gun safe class can be ignored. For example, the number and size of the locking bolts is all but meaningless for RSCs. For the locking bolts to make a difference, they must be supported by a strong enough door and door frame. This is covered in detail, with pictures, in my theft protection article.

Likewise, you can ignore the “fire rating” for RSCs. For the fire rating to matter, it would have to be independently tested to an accepted standard. An explanation of how gun safes measure up to real fire safe standards can be found in my fire ratings article.

With the exception of the *Exceptional Gun Safes (RSC) in the next category, expensive RSCs add features which cost a lot when you consider the additional protection they actually give.

For this reason, if you’re looking for the best cheap gun safe, buy the cheapest RSC that has the features you want.

Country of Manufacture – gun safes made in USA are preferred. The cheapest American RSCs are a couple hundred dollars more expensive than ones made in other countries. But keep in mind the issues with Chinese gun safes, including that their locks or RSC rating stickers may be fake.

Best Value Gun Safes (RSC)

Liberty is the largest manufacturer of gun safes. They are aggressive marketers and make some misleading claims. However, they are pretty good at customer service and stand behind their products better than most. Compared to many of their competitors, they give you less aggravation and usually respond faster. Because of this, they’re my first recommendation for best value gun safes.

Another benefit comes due to their size. Liberty is the largest domestic gun safe manufacturer. They’ve invested in serious infrastructure like robot welders for the body steel. Thinner steel gun safes are harder to weld. Cheap models benefit the most from better equipment, as discussed in the welds section. Robot welders enable Liberty to keep prices low on their low-end units while maintaining consistent built quality.

The Liberty Centurion has been a point of confusion, so I’ll try to clear it up. Liberty is now advertising that their new Centurion is made in the USA. The new Centurion comes in 12, 18, and 24 gun sizes. It does not meet the UL RSC requirements.

The old Liberty Centurion models, however, were RSCs. You may still see them at some stores. RV17 and RV20 models were made in China and sold at big box stores. Previously they also made a Chinese-made Centurion and an American-made Revere, both named RV20, but sold through different stores. You can see Liberty hasn’t always been straightforward about where their overseas products were made. This has improved some.

The current “American made” Centurions are priced from $500 to $750 for 12, 18, and 24 models. Based on the specs, these actually may be made domestically, as the steel is only 14 gauge thick. Unfortunately 14 gauge doesn’t meet the RSC construction requirements, which specify 12 gauge thick body steel. 14 gauge is thinner than your average $250 jobbox toolbox. Because these are not RSCs, you’re better off stepping up to the Revere, or going with a gun safe alternative.

The next step up from the Centurion is Liberty’s Revere RV23 and RV30 models. These are made in the USA from 12 gauge steel. Revere’s have always been American-made gun safes. The confusing American Revere RV20 was discontinued.

American-made Revere models, including curbside delivery, start at around $1,200 for the RV23 up to around $1,350 for the RV30. These Liberty Revere models are a best value gun safe.

Liberty has a wide dealer network. A lot of gun shops carry Liberty, and cheap gun safes are easier to handle and install yourself. So, they’re a great opportunity to support your local gun shop by buying one locally. You can also buy online (click here for RV23 and RV30).

Liberty isn’t the only company that makes a good RSC gun safe. Browning, Dakota, and American Security (AMSEC) also have respectable budget gun safes (RSC).

Remember that RSCs do not provide much protection, so in this category you’re just looking for the lowest price RSC with the options you want.

The models in the next category start at $1,650 without fireproofing and are much stronger.

These gun safes cost as much as other units which offer far less protection. All are American made gun safes. If you are looking in this price range, you should definitely take a look at these models.

Readers email me periodically about this or that brand of gun safes. Before emailing me about a particular model, please take a minute and compare it to the specs in the table below. You probably won’t get past the 2nd or 3rd row before realizing that the gun safes below give you more bang for your buck. Also, if you’re having trouble finding the specifications for the table, that isn’t a good sign. 🙂 BTW, another article has a full list of gun safe evaluation criteria.

Sturdy Gun Safe vs. American Security (AMSEC) BF Gun Safe Review

Below is a gun safe comparison table. Each category and my scoring are explained in detail under the table.

Sturdy Safe Models

Sturdy takes a no-nonsense approach to its gun safes. Their products are pretty much perpendicular to the rest of the RSC gun safe industry. Sturdy does not have many cosmetic options. Instead, their products emphasize thick steel and simple robust bolt work and construction. This makes them much stronger than the vast majority of RSC gun safes.

Sturdy prides itself on manufacturing as much as possible in the United States, and even sourcing only American materials where they can. Sturdy is a small family owned business, owned by Terry, his wife Toni, and daughter Alyssa. Terry is in many of the videos on Sturdy’s website and YouTube and sometimes even answers the phone. Alyssa is the webmaster and frequently responds to questions and comments on gun forums.

Sturdy’s smallest standard model 2419 starts at $2,000 with fireproofing, or $1,650 without. Sturdy’s largest standard model is the 6028-6. It starts at $4,850 with fireproofing, or $5,050 without. Click on the part numbers in the table above to see pricing for each model.

American Security Gun Safes, BF Models

AMSEC BF6032C-BKBR-FS Gun Safe

American Securityor AMSEC is a much larger company with around 1,000 employees. A significant portion of their product offerings are cheaply made and sourced from China. They also make RSCs, which are different from these models. However, their higher end products are made in the USA. These include a range of true safes, and even one of the only off-the-shelf UL 687 TL-30 rated gun safes available. For more info, see my article about true safe ratings like UL687 TL-30.

Even though the BF gun safes have reduced steel and fireproofing compared to the BF true safe versions, they’re no slouches. In fact, the AMSEC BF gun safes are the only current RSC gun safes constructed using the same materials and techniques as the vast majority of commercial fireproof true safes. More details about this can be found below.

AMSEC’s smallest standard model BF6024 starts at around $2,700. AMSEC’s largest standard model is the BF7250. It starts at $5,600. Click on the part numbers in the table above to see online pricing for each model. There have been a few changes to BF gun safe line over the years:

Until 2010, the BF gun safe poured fireproofing was formulated to offer mostly fire protection and the walls had 10 gauge outer and 14 gauge inner steel fire liner shells. Starting in 2010, AMSEC’s proprietary “DryLight” concrete amalgamate mixture was changed, making it heavier and somewhat stronger. It’s not clear whether this change was made to standardize the BF gun safe with the rest of the AMSEC line, to reduce sensitivity to volatile steel prices, or for other purposes.

2010 and later BF gun safes have thinner steel in the walls but somewhat stronger concrete mixtures.

Older BF gun safes also don’t have top locking bolts.

In 2015, AMSEC introduced the HD option for BF gun safes. This option replaces the 16 gauge (0.0598″) inner steel fire liner with 3.7X thicker 4 gauge (0.2242″) steel. The inner steel fire liner is then the thickest layer. More on this below.

Security Rating

Sturdy safes easily exceed the UL 1037 Residential Security Container construction specifications, but aren’t actually tested. Sturdy explains that they do this to pass on as much savings to their customers as possible.

AMSEC BF gun safes are tested to UL 1037 Residential Security, and UL Listed for that rating. AMSEC BF gun safes of course wins this one, but the RSC rating is a pretty low bar.

Standard Steel, Door Outer Sheet

Sturdy safes have standard 5/16″ (0.3125″) steel in the outer door sheet. This is much thicker than the vast majority of RSC gun safes.

Sturdy has increased their upgrade options for door steel. These include different configurations of stainless steel, which is more tool and torch resistant:

3/8″ (0.3750″) steel for the door outer sheet continues to be one option.

Along with 3/8″ door steel, a new option welds another 3/16″ (0.1875″) steel sheet inside the door.

The 3/16″ inner reinforcing sheet can be upgraded to stainless steel.

Another option on top of the others welds a 8″ x 12″ sandwich of two sheets of 3/16″ (0.1875″) stainless to the lock area.

The AMSEC BF gun safes have 1/2″ (0.5000″) outer steel plate in the door, except for two models. The smallest BF6024 and largest BF7250 models have 3/8″ (0.3750″) steel plate in the door. This is probably to save cost and weight, respectively. In addition, the BF’s 1″ concrete amalgamate poured into the door behind the steel offers some additional protection against burglary.

In terms of base option steel, AMSEC BF wins. With all the options things get more complicated.

For Sturdy’s 3/8″ + 3/16″ steel option, the combined thickness is 9/16″ (0.5625″). One thick sheet of steel is stronger than a sandwich of two of the same combined thickness. However, these two sheets wind up thicker than the standard BF’s 1/2″ (0.5000″) plate. Also, unlike most gun safes, there isn’t a weak layer of drywall between the sheets.

Further, given the option of adding stainless steel reinforcement to the lock and/or door, the optional door steel match-up gives the edge to Sturdy.

Standard Steel, Walls Outer Sheet

Sturdy gun safe standard steel reinforcement options. White areas are available in 7 or 4 gauge (except the door, which is thicker). Orange areas are reinforced with 3/16″ steel sheet. Blue areas are reinforced with one or more layers of 3/16″ stainless steel.

Sturdy’s standard 7 gauge (0.1793″) steel outer body walls are thicker than the majority of RSC doors. 4 gauge (0.2242″) steel is optional on the body. In the diagram shown here, the outside steel thickness shown in white can be 7 or 4 gauge.

Augmenting one side or area of a Sturdy has long been an option. Sturdy has since standardized some of their most popular reinforcement configuration. Since these options add steel to only part of the gun safe, they are attractive for those with corresponding weight or cost budgets.

Two options involve welding 3/16″ sheet to both the side walls and door jamb, made of either steel or stainless steel. These are commonly attacked areas, so if you’re going to have more metal, they’re good places to have it. Of course, if you don’t bolt your gun safe down, your extra money could be wasted.

The Magnum Steel Package similarly adds steel to the sides and jamb, and then also to the top and back. The Sturdy Signature Package does the same as the Magnum, but the side reinforcement is upgraded to stainless. Another option reinforces the sides, jamb, and door with stainless.

In 2015, AMSEC added an option for body steel. BF gun safe models which end in HD now upgrade the inner steel fire liner to 4 gauge (0.2242″). Coincidentally, that is exactly the same thickness Sturdy has been offering as a body steel upgrade.

Normally I would consider the steel fire liner layer below in that section. But since the BF HD steel fire liner is almost twice as thick as the outer shell, it deserves to be covered here. Thickening the inner steel layer has benefits for security of course, but also for fireproofing which are discussed below.

Sturdy gun safes win the standard wall steel contest.

Sturdy gives the options for 0.4117″ in total body steel, including a stainless layer. The BF’s HD option gives you 0.3438″ in total body steel, with a 2″ sandwich of concrete amalgamate.

Anchor Holes

Sturdy safes use tubing guides on their 5/8″ diameter anchor holes to prevent crushing of the non-structural fire proofing. Unfortunately though they only install two anchor holes on their standard gun safes. They’ll add more for $25/ea.

AMSEC’s BF gun safes come with four pre-cut anchor holes.

AMSEC BF gun safes wins this one in terms of standard configuration, although for $50 you can get four total anchor holes in your Sturdy.

Door Seal

For the door seal, Sturdy uses fire barrier intumescent (fire-expanding) caulk covered with a fiberglass boiler gasket. This choice may have been made to save money over the name brand Palusol door seal. They claim it’s rated for 4 hours instead of 1 hour for Palusol.

AMSEC BF’s use a Palusol intumescent door seal. The door jamb also has a high temperature silicone seal. At the request of a reader, here’s a detailed analysis.

Sturdy’s graphic (above) shows a tube of 3M CP 25WP+ fire stop caulk, but that caulk is red in color. The yellow caulk shown in the same graphic looks more like 3M IC 15WB+. I confirmed with Sturdy that this is what they used on older models. However, Sturdy had problems with IC 15WB+ coming out lumpy and not adhering well, so they have since switched to STI LCI300, which is red.

STI LCI300 Intumescent Caulk Installed as a Fire Stop

These 3M and STI products are intumescent fire barrier caulks. They are designed to be applied to holes in walls and floors around pipes and wires. In the event of a fire, they keep flames and smoke from passing through the holes. This application has a couple differences compared to an intumescent door seal.

Fire barrier caulks are designed to stick to both the inside (pipe/wire) and outside of a hole. Of course, this would glue a gun safe door shut. The boiler gasket used by Sturdy on top of the caulk is probably intended to keep the door from sticking to the caulk. In comparison, intumescent door seals are solids instead of liquids, avoiding this issue.

Fire barrier caulks don’t have to expand as much as intumescent door seals. By fire code they must be installed so that they take up all of the gap, as you can see in the picture. Intumescent door seals on the other hand must fill up the entire empty space between the door and jamb. BASF Palusol and 3M’s similar Expantrol intumescent door seals expand 6X and 10X respectively. By comparison, 3M fire barrier caulks IC 15WB+ and CP 25WP+ expand only a minimum of 3X. Sturdy’s latest seal STI LCI300 is better in this regard, expanding a maximum of 8X.

The most important difference between intumescent door seals and caulks is expansion temperature. Intumescent door seals must expand as quickly as possible to fill the door gap and keep smoke and hot gasses out of your gun safe. Expansion must happen at lower temperatures because the door seal isn’t exposed to open flame. Also, the door is much cooler at the bottom. Palusol starts to expand at only 212 °F, and is fully expanded by 482 °F. This is in line with the performance required to protect guns. The downside is that Palusol is sensitive to moisture, which is why it is installed wrapped in plastic. Expantrol doesn’t have humidity sensitivity but also doesn’t begin expanding until 392 °F; it’s fully expanded by 536 °F.

BASF Palusol Expansion. Note temperatures are in Celsius, not Fahrenheit.

Intumescent caulks may directly contact flames and don’t have to expand to fill gaps and block smoke. So they generally are formulated from materials which expand at higher temperatures. 3M fire barrier caulks IC 15WB+ and CP 25WP+ don’t promise 3X expansion until 1000 °F! STI LCI300 doesn’t publish its expansion temperature. Judging by the application, it could be equally high.

To be used in building construction, intumescent caulks must be independently tested to ASTM E814 (UL 1479 Through-Penetration Firestop Systems) and/or ASTM E1966 (UL 2079 Tests for Fire Resistance of Building Joint Systems). There is no similar test for intumescent door seals. The intumescent caulks are rated to stop fire for 3 or 4 hours when, for example, installed between a copper pipe and concrete hole. However, this doesn’t mean it will keep smoke and fire out of your gun safe for 4 hours. While not quite an apples and oranges comparison, it is apples and pears. I found no 1 hour limit for Palusol’s fire resistance. It does starts to break down at 1112 °F, regardless of the duration, but doesn’t seem limited to 1 hour.

This one goes to AMSEC BF gun safes. Palusol is the industry standard because it’s specifically designed to seal fire doors and fire safes. It starts to expand at the lowest temperature of competing products. Also the AMSEC BF has an additional high-temp silicone seal to help control gun safe moisture and provide additional protection in a fire.

Like AMSEC, Sturdy maintains tight door gaps which are a big help in sealing. Sturdy’s intumescent caulk has performed favorably in fires. However, no testing has been performed to establish whether Palusol would have worked better. Palusol is sold in strips which are cut to length, so there’s also no variation in caulking bead width which could happen with Sturdy’s gasket.

Lock Types

Sturdy offers a standard mechanical dial combination lock, or an electronic keypad as an option. They also offer dual locks with either two mechanical dial locks, or a dial and an electronic keypad lock. In dual-lock options, both locks must be unlocked to open the door. To prevent confusion, let’s explore dual locks a little more.

Personally I would find it useful to have an electronic keypad lock with a mechanical dial as a backup. Electronic keypad locks have comparatively short lifespans. If it failed, the backup mechanical lock could save the cost of opening it. That would require that either lock could open the safe. Note this is not how Sturdy’s configuration works.

Sturdy’s dual lock configuration requires that both be opened. To use an electrical analogy, the locks are in series rather than parallel. Theoretically series locks could increase security. However, despite what Hollywood may believe, picking UL 768 safe locks isn’t common. (If you’re interested, click here and scroll down for a list of common gun safe attacks.) So, adding a second lock probably won’t stop a burglar.

What is common is lockout due to either failure of electronic locks, or forgetting/losing the combination. Putting two locks in series actually increases the odds of lockout by combining those failure and fault rates.

Sturdy probably picked the serial dual lock configuration because it doesn’t reduce the reliability of their bolt work. Each lock separately obstructs the door bolts from retracting. Since each lock has a separate combination, this configuration could be useful if you wanted two different people to be present to open the gun safe.

By comparison, parallel dual locks do increase the complexity of the bolt work. UL 768 safe locks are effectively deadbolts. It isn’t trivial to design a strong, reliable linkage which opens when either of two deadbolts retracts. Since bolt work is another common gun safe failure area, this isn’t a small consideration. Bolt work for each model is discussed below.

AMSEC offers a standard mechanical dial combination lock. As options, they offer electronic keypad and key locks. They may offer a hybrid dual-lock configuration as a special order, but I’ve heard anecdotally that they overcharge for customization.

Sturdy offers dual lock setups, but in a serial configuration that may not be that useful. AMSEC offers a key lock, and hybrid options by special order. I don’t know how to score this one so I’ll call it a Tie.

Optional Lock

AMSEC’s first electronic keypad lock option for the BF gun safe is the AMSEC ESL10XL. This is one of 14 factory options for electronic keypad locks from AMSEC, S&G, La Gard, and Kaba Mas. They also have 3 options for UL Listed key locks.

The second pry attack video in 11 Myths about Gun Safe Theft Protection showed a Sturdy. This unit had only the middle 2 locking bolts installed. Yet the video showed it resisting a pry attack that will open most RSCs in less a minute or two.

Hinge side bolts are fixed, as they should be. The top and bottom door reinforcement protrudes on the hinge side to function as even stronger fixed locking bolts. The rigidity of this locking bolt frame adds strength to the Sturdy’s door despite the thinner (than the AMSEC) outer door steel. The Sturdy’s enclosed bolt work is more difficult to lubricate and service.

AMSEC BF Bolt Work

Like Sturdy, AMSEC’s hinge side bolts are fixed. Their locking bolt carriage however is constructed out of bent and stamped sheet steel. The bolt work shown in an image in Building an AMSEC BF Gun Safe shows that the bolt carrier is bent sheet metal, although it is thicker than the bolt carrier of most RSCs. The thicker steel on the BF door strengthens it, taking stress off of the bolt work. The stronger the door and frame, the easier it is for the bolts to hold it closed in an attack.

Sturdy’s bolt work wins this one narrowly. Because the AMSEC’s door has a 1/2″ steel plate outer shell, it will not deform like a typical sheet metal RSC door in a pry attack. AMSEC makes lots of true safes and knows how to make lock work. But the simplicity, reliability, and strength of the Sturdy are arguably preferable.

The warranties show the relative confidence each company has in its bolt work. AMSEC’s locking mechanism is warrantied for only 1 year, but Sturdy’s is warrantied for a lifetime.

Shear Pins or Clutch Mechanism

Sturdy points out frequently that their bolt work does not have shear pins or clutches. In this video owner Terry uses a pipe wrench and pipe for leverage to put a tremendous amount of torque on the bolt handle shaft.

AMSEC is less forthcoming about the construction of their BF gun safe bolt work, but it doesn’t look like they have clutches. AMSEC advertises “slip clutches” as a “feature” in their lower end FV and TF gun safes, but doesn’t mention these clutches for the higher end BF and SV. Because AMSEC sells low end products with clutches, they probably refrain from mentioning the downside of clutches because that might hurt sales of their low-end products.

Although AMSEC BF gun safes don’t seem to have clutches or shear pins, I’ll give this one to Sturdy who both provides this information openly and publishes video of a handle attack.

Fire Rating

Sturdy’s fire protection is optional. Owners who want to save money and get more interior space may elect to get a Sturdy without fire protection. Sturdy has commented on forums that they haven’t attempted UL 72 testing because they work to minimize costs and the testing is expensive.

Because the fire lining of the AMSEC BF is structural, this gun safe is not available without fire protection.

Technically neither model has a recognized (UL 72) fire rating so this is a tie. AMSEC’s design and construction however is based on the BF true safe which carries a UL 72 Class 350 rating, so it has an edge in this category.

Fire Insulation Type

Sturdy Installing Fireproofing (inner layer)

Sturdy’s fireproofing is an outer layer of 2300 °F rated Ceramic Wool and an inner layer of 1000 °F Fiberglass. This strategy uses insulation (high thermal resistance) rather than water to steam phase changes as protection. This type of insulation is typical on high temperature ovens to keep heat in over long periods of time.

Sturdy’s insulation is much lighter than poured concrete-based fire lining. This makes moving it easier and cheaper. If your installation location is sensitive to weight, this is a huge benefit.

One downside of Sturdy’s insulation is that it offers no structural support or burglary protection. Stronger steel supports are required between the inner and outer shells to support the contents of the gun safe. These steel supports can transfer heat in a fire.

Also Sturdy’s method of fireproofing is not very common. It’s only used in about 1% of UL 72 fire safes. Typical UL 72 fire safes use a poured outer fire lining to drop the temperature in a fire to under 350 °F. Then there is a steel inner shell to block humidity. Ceramic wool is used as the inner insulation on UL 72 Class 125 fire safes to keep the temperature under 125 °F at low humidity.

AMSEC Pouring Fireproofing

AMSEC calls its proprietary poured concrete amalgamate fireproofing “DryLight”. People who have handled the post-2010 material in cutaways describe it as having the consistency of cured tile grout. It fully adheres to the steel walls.

Formerly, AMSEC avoided mentioning that the same DryLight fill is used in the BF gun safe as the UL 72 fire safes. Now however, AMSEC advertises it.

AMSEC BF gun safes win this one. Poured concrete amalgamate is the predominant material used in fireproofing commercial burglary and fire rating safes. If you’re looking for lightweight fire protection though, the Sturdy has the advantage.

Fire Insulation Thickness

Sturdy’s fireproofing is layered with different thicknesses in different locations. The thicknesses have changed a little over the last few years, but have remained close to these specifications.

The entire Sturdy interior has a 2.5″ thick outer layer of 2300 °F ceramic wool. For the walls, this is the only layer, and it is compressed to 2.25″. Compressing insulation reduces some of the R-value, but a quarter inch isn’t the end of the world.

The roof, floor, and door also have another inner layer of fiberglass added. The roof and floor inner fiberglass layer is 2″ thick. The door inner fiberglass layer is 1″ thick.

AMSEC’s BF gun safe fireproofing is 2″ thick in the walls, and 1″ in the door.

Sturdy’s insulation is 25% to 100% thicker and layered, so technically it wins this category. Obviously though, this is an apples to oranges comparison.

With that said, to get the larger BF gun safes to pass UL 72 Class 350 would clearly take more than 2-3/8″ of insulation. Due to its larger size, the largest BF3416 true safe is only actually UL 72 listed for 30 minutes. The BF gun safes are much bigger that the BF3416, and so their fire rating would be lower than that.

The newer HD BF gun safe option however throws a curve ball into the fire surviveability equation. HD BF’s actually have more total steel in walls (0.3438″) than the BF true safe (0.2500″). In addition, 65% of the BF HD wall steel is in the steel fire liner, inside the safe. This means that it actually adds fire resistance to the HD gun safes.

For fire protection, you really want as much thermal mass (steel) inside the insulation as possible. In a fire, the heat then not only has to penetrate the fireproofing, but also heat up the heavy steel. If you think about a pot on the stove, the more water (thermal mass) in the pot, the longer it takes to boil. So, the HD version of the BF gun safe brings it closer to UL 72 Class 350.

Steel Inner Fire Liner

Sturdy has reduced its inner steel fire liner from 14 gauge to 16 gauge (0.0598″). Coincidentally again, they changed it to the same thickness as the standard BF inner liner. Since the Sturdy fireproofing offers no structural support, the inner liner doesn’t really help. Also, it’s not included at all if no fireproofing is chosen. So, this was a wise place for Sturdy to cut costs.

The standard AMSEC BF inner steel fire liner is 16 gauge (0.0598″). The HD option brings it up to 4 gauge (0.2242″). The approximately 3.7X increase in thermal mass of the HD steel fire liner actually helps in a fire. In both cases, the liner is adhered to a poured concrete amalgamate, which structurally supports the gun safe.

AMSEC wins this one.

Country of Manufacture

Sturdy manufacturers all of its safes in Fresno, CA.

AMSEC BF gun safes are made in Fontana, CA. AMSEC has many other product lines made in China.

Both gun safes are made In USA, but Sturdy has an edge with regard to the percentage of products made in the USA, and commitment to sourcing US materials.

Cosmetic Features

Sturdy safes are all business and have a utilitarian appearance. No cosmetic features like multi-spoke locking handles here. This appeals to a lot of their customers, and it also makes Sturdy’s easier to camouflage as a storage or electrical cabinet. There are some paint options, but Sturdy’s are not beauty queens.

AMSEC BF’s have a more classic gun safe look. They’re available in 13 colors. 5 spoke bolt handles are available in chrome, brass, or black nickel. They also have large pull handles and raised logos in matching finishes. AMSEC BF gun safes have polished rear walls to help reflect interior light, increasing visibility.

AMSEC BF wins this category. However, Sturdy’s appearance has its benefits. Because almost every penny of a Sturdy goes into steel, these are a better choice if want to save money on cosmetics. The Sturdy is also a better choice if you’re going to hide or camouflage it anyway.

As a testament to the value of a utilitarian appearance, AMSEC offers a gun safe cloak. So, after you’ve purchased all of those chrome trinkets, the cloak can help make your gun safe look like a wood cabinet. 🙂

Interior Electrical Connection

Sturdy’s optionally come with a 3/8″ hole drilled for running electricity into your gun safe. In the website picture it looks like the hole is also grommeted, which is important for safety. The electrical hole is automatically drilled if you order a Dri-Rod heater type dehumidifier from Sturdy. You’ll still have to supply your own cord, feed it through the hole, and install a plug or receptacle yourself.

AMSEC Interior Electrical Connection

AMSEC’s standard electrical connection is at the entire other end of the spectrum. Not only is an internal receptacle installed inside the gun safe, but the outside extension cord can be disconnect for moving. The cord can be seen in the images of Building an AMSEC BF Gun Safe.

AMSEC handily wins this contest. Sturdy’s electrical connection option is a little behind the times. The only benefit to the Sturdy configuration is if the actual hole drilled into the AMSEC for the electrical connection is bigger. Bigger holes present more of a fire risk.

Burglary Protection

Which unit offers better burglary protection? Great question. Both easily exceed the UL 1037 Residential Security Container requirements and so have equal Performance Ratings. The Sturdy has not been independently security tested.

No part of the Sturdy safes meet the B-Rate true safe construction specifications. However, their design far exceeds most gun safes and is no slouch. In fact, with upgrades the total door steel thickness (0.5625″) exceeds the B-Rate 0.5000″ requirement, except that B-Rate requires a single plate 1/2″ door. (Combined steel thicknesses are allowed in the B-Rate walls if they are concrete composite.) Even so, the 4 gauge (0.2242″) steel option brings the walls close to B-Rate. Optional reinforcement can bring it to 0.4117″ total thickness in critical areas. Stainless steel is yet another variable.

The 1/2″ plate steel door of the AMSEC BF gun safe (excluding the smallest and largest models) does meet the B-Rate true safe specifications. The standard body steel does not. However the HD option will bring 1/2″ door models up to that specification.

The 7 gauge (0.1793″) steel shell of Sturdy safes is much thicker than the 11 gauge (0.1196″) outer shell of the AMSEC BF gun safe. This is a big advantage for burglary protection between the base models.

Sturdy’s fireproofing offers no additional security for the body. For AMSEC BF gun safes, the wall strength of the 2″ composite sandwich of concrete amalgamate and steel depends on the strength of the proprietary DryLight mix. The relative wall strengths have been the source of gun forum discussion for some time. Especially because the security added by the fill depends on the type of attack.

Speaking of attacks, shortly after Sturdy published it, a reader commented with the video below. The video is worth adding to this conversation, as it compares blows with the pick of a fire ax.

For comparison, here’s 21 vertical blows with the pick of a fire ax against thicker 10 gauge (0.1345″) steel from the theft protection article. This plate of course has no DryLight fill behind it.

How much strength is added by the fill? Hard to say from this comparison. Sturdy gun safes have more steel standard in the body. Steel is the best defense against a fire ax. That sharp pick blows neutralizes much of the potential strength benefit of the AMSEC BF fill. A bigger difference would be seen for impacts covering more surface area, and some types of power tools. For example, if Sturdy had turned the ax around to the blade side, the BF fill would have been a bigger help to the outer steel.

Don’t forget that Sturdy is not showing a door attack because standard AMSEC BF gun safes have more steel there. The door is a very common attack point, and its strength is critical to keeping the door closed in an attacked. AMSEC could respond with a video showing a power tool attacking both doors. AMSEC’s 1/2″ (0.5000″) plate door steel plus 1″ of fill, would be noticeably more resistant than Sturdy’s 5/16″ (0.3125″). There are also other attacks (which I won’t mention here to protect gun owners) which the AMSEC would resist better.

While it’s useful to consider what scenario you want to protect against, you can get lost in these contingencies. Both models now offer similar upgrades, so we’ve mostly been debating the base models.

To summarize the burglary protection:

The standard Sturdy gun safe is sized to protect from against brute force attacks on all sides. Almost every penny and pound of its cost and weight budgets go into steel. It’s substantially more robust than most all RSC gun safes. Compared to true safes, Sturdy’s are designed with some clever but unconventional methods, and don’t always use the same materials. Those methods do have benefits for weight and cost sensitive applications. If you’re worried about brute force attacks, the Sturdy’s are a best gun safe for the money.

The AMSEC BF gun safe is constructed using the same basic methods as their high security true safes, with modifications. The construction is “scaled down” to somewhere between a RSC gun safe and a true/fire safe. The AMSEC emphasizes burglary protection for the door, and fire protection. Due to the cost and weight of the fireproofing, the body steel in the base AMSEC BF gun safe is a bit of a compromise. Similarly, the fireproofing fill does not include strengthening or power tool resistant additives found in UL 687 safes (carbide, etc.), but instead is compromised for fire protection.

Both are good choices. Sturdy’s base gun safe emphasizes steel, which is most important for burglary protection. Brute force attacks on gun safes are common, and the Sturdy is matched to this thread. So, the standard model Sturdy has an edge in burglary protection, especially where the body is exposed.

When the upgrades are compared, the AMSEC has B-Rate construction. Between the bells and whistles upgrade models, I’ll give the edge to AMSEC due to its door strength and construction methods. Sturdy’s upgrades are also beneficial, notably stainless steel. But Sturdy does rightly criticize the body of the BF for having multiple sheets of thinner steel instead of one thick one. But Sturdy’s upgrades are likewise composed of multiple thinner sheets of steel, instead of one thick one. By comparison, AMSEC’s HD option replaces the fire liner with one thick sheet.

Fire Protection

The design of Sturdy’s fireproofing is relatively unique for a fire safe. They are constructed more like a high temperature oven than the vast majority of UL 72 Fire Endurance Rated safes. By all accounts, in home fires Sturdy safes seem to offer good protection. However, they have no recognized rating.

AMSEC BF gun safes are constructed the same way as commercial burglary and fire safes. In fact, the smaller BF true safe version with 39% more wall steel and 19% thicker wall fireproofing has a UL 72 Class 350 Fire Endurance rating. However, the largest BF3416 “jewelry safe” couldn’t meet the same 1 hour rating as its smaller brothers. So, it’s clear that the BF gun safes couldn’t meet UL 72 Class 350, due to their larger size and thinner fireproofing. The HD option has increased interior steel (thermal mass), actually more steel than its smaller true safe brothers. So, the HD version may actually be closer to UL 72 Class 350.

“Back of the envelope” engineering calculations performed by a forum member show that the Sturdy fireproofing has many times higher thermal resistance (more heat insulation) than AMSEC’s. However AMSEC’s fireproofing is more than just insulation. Their concrete mixture has a high thermal mass and uses the phase change of water to steam to protect the inside of the gun safe in a fire. Either type could be more effective, depending on the implementation.

The only way to settle the fire performance debate is to do a direct comparison, or to compare the Sturdy to a UL 72 fire rated gun safe of similar size and construction. Unfortunately there aren’t any UL 72 fire safes of the same size similarly constructed to the Sturdy.

The Sturdy may very well offer better fire protection than the AMSEC BF gun safe. But, because the Sturdy’s fire proofing offers no direct comparison to a UL 72 listed fire safe, the AMSEC BF has the edge in fire protection.

If you’re looking for the best fireproof gun safe without stepping up to a true safe, both are better that most all gun safes (for reasons described here). But, I’ll give the AMSEC BF the edge, especially the HD option.

Customer Service

Sturdy’s customers are generally happy with their customer service. They’re a small company that prides itself in satisfied customers. They are happy to customize your gun safe with whatever options you want.

AMSEC’s customer service is also well regarded. One safe tech reported that AMSEC had just replaced a vault door because the paint “wasn’t quite right”. The difference is that AMSEC’s size means if you call you’ll wind up talking to a customer service representative. These rep’s can give you misleading answers as they are not themselves safe experts.

Also like AMSEC, most manufacturers of high security safes are not forthcoming about technical specifications of their products. This is good because a thief can’t just call and ask how a safe he saw in someone’s house is constructed. However, it means you should probably buy an AMSEC BF gun safe through a dedicated commercial safe dealer who is familiar with the products. He or she will have proprietary knowledge about its construction that is not released outside the safe industry for security reasons. Because customization is a distraction from AMSEC’s high volume production, they can charge a premium for customization that a safe technician may be able to do cheaper.

Bottom Line: Sturdy Gun Safe vs. American Security BF Gun Safe

Both are great choices. Each has a stable, solid design. Each offers upgrades which make them even more competitive with each other. The two are so close in many regards that it may come down to a matter of your taste.

Zanotti Armor Modular Gun Safe Review

If you’re looking for a modular or take-down gun safe, the Zanotti Armor models are the best modular gun safe.

Modular gun safes can be disassembled and reassembled, making them easier and cheaper to move. This makes them very popular with military personnel and others who relocate often.

Zanotti ships their gun safes in three or four flat boxes. The heaviest part is the door, which weighs 100 to 175 lbs depending on the size. Because of the manageable weight, only a hand dolly is needed to move the boxes.

These modular gun safes break down into six pieces. Smaller models can be assembled by one person, but you’ll need a buddy for the big ones. Assembly takes about a half hour and requires only a rubber mallet, block of wood, and maybe a pry bar.

Zanotti Modular Gun Safe Assembly

To assemble them, you only need access to the inside of the gun safe. So, you can assemble them in a tight closet with walls against all 3 sides. This may add an hour or two to assembly.

Door Construction

These are one of the few gun safes that you can order with a left-swinging door. Unless you’re left handed and like the convenience, that isn’t the biggest benefit for a modular gun safe. People that move often buy modular gun safes. A left-swinging door may be perfect for your current home, but not for the next five.

No door seal is included. Each of the panels has a seam anyway and there is no fireproofing on these models. So, a door seal is less of a benefit.

Body Construction

The top and bottom panels are also 3/16″ (0.1875″) thick steel. The rest of the body is constructed with 10 gauge (0.1345″) thick steel.

Because Zanotti safes are modular, each panel is bent and formed. That means there are no full-length weld seams to worry about. The body panels of Zanotti gun safes are held together with 3/8″ (0.3750″) pins that are hand fitted at the factory. Customers are universally impressed with how tight they fit together, even after a half-dozen moves.

Locks

Zanotti no longer offers electronic keypad combination locks from the factory. They say the reason was due to failures on these units after 6 to 8 years. The main issue wasn’t the failure, but difficulty in finding qualified safe technicians to do warranty repairs in remote areas of the country. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the failure of a newer lock in Montana almost 200 miles from the nearest safe tech, who of course charged by the mile.

Now Zanotti offers the La Gard 3330 mechanical dial combination lock standard from the factory. They previously used the American-made Sargent & Greenleaf models until S&G started using plastic parts internally. The La Gard 3330 is still all brass. The 3330 is one of the industry workhorses, and better quality than the standard locks which come with most gun safes.

Bolt Work

Zanotti describes their simple bolt work as “Mauser-like”, after the reliable WW-II K98 bolt-action that has been copied by countless other rifles. Simple is of course more reliable and therefore better when it comes to bolt work.

The bolt work does have a shear pin, which breaks at a relatively high 60 to 70 ft-lbs. Since shear pin failure means you’re locked out until a safe technician gets you back in, higher is better.

Fireproofing

Due to their modular nature, Zanotti gun safes are not available with fireproofing. Since gun safe fireproofing is overrated, this isn’t necessarily that much of a disadvantage.

Cosmetic Features

These modular gun safes are all-business with lever handles. They come in three colors: black, brown, and green.

Zanotti ZA Models

ZA-1 models start at around $1,600. The ZA-3 models top out at around $2,400 for the 5′ tall model and $2,900 for the 6′ model.

If you’re looking to save money, you can pick your shipment up yourself from the local freight terminal. For more detailed pricing and availability information, you can call them at 319-232-9650 and they’ll send you a current price sheet and catalog.

Zanotti Armor Company

Zanotti Armor is a small American company in Waterloo, Iowa. They make all of their gun safes in the USA. They also try to source only American materials from steel to interior carpeting. That is, unless there is a quality advantage — like with an all-brass internals lock.

Zanotti sells directly from their factory. All of their gun safes are built to order. A $200 deposit gets your order in the queue but they don’t take credit card.

Best Gun Safe – True Safe

Graffunder True Safe. The Best Gun Safe is a True Safe.

Manufactures of commercial safes like Graffunder, American Security (AMSEC), and Brown make true safes specifically designed to store guns. These companies, as well as others like Mesa, make true safes large enough for guns, but without interior configurations commonly found in gun safes.

Graffunder is an American company founded in 1968 by a German immigrant. Their weapon safes are very highly regarded and sold at less of a markup than many of their competitors. They don’t pay for UL 687 performance testing. That keeps down costs but also means they don’t offer Performance Rated safes. Fit and finish are very good. Graffunder offers B, C, E, and F-Rate weapons safes, as well as double door safes.

AMSEC HS7943 TL-15 Safe

AMSEC is another American company founded in the 40’s. The company and their customer support are discussed in detail above. AMSEC makes gun safes with both UL 687 TL-30 (RF Series) and TL-15 (HS Series) ratings, as well as the nearly-B-Rate BF gun safes discussed above.

Brown generally puts the thickest piece of steel on the inside, which is an advantage for theft and fire protection. In terms of fit and finish, Brown’s can be a little less refined than the other brands, which is part of their niche. They meet the same performance specifications as other safes with comparable ratings, but holding close tolerances on large pieces of steel is expensive.

There are many small manufacturers of true safes. These companies may have different relationships with local safe dealers. If you’re looking for a gun safe you should talk to a true safe dealer. They’ll be more knowledgeable about these units and the particular benefits of each. Since they also maintain the units they sell, they can also inform you of specific issues they see with them too.

Comments

Do more reaserch on the fire gasket comparison for Amsec vs. Sturdy. Sturdy should win, because 3m fire stop is good for 4 hours, not 1 hour like Palusol, which Amsec and a lot of other companies use, because it’s easy to install and looks good.
I’d say not to give the fire rating to Amsec either. I’d tie that if I were you because there are good arguments for both sides. You based giving it to them because of it’s similarities to the UL 72 Class 350 1 Hour design, however, if you actually look at any UL 72 class 350 safe, you will notice they do not use Dry Light as an insulator, they use real cement, which is not a far comparison to Dry Light. For example of one main difference: These UL 72 class 350 safes are not made with thick steel, because they rely on the cement for it’s security and insulating value. Real cement is a great fire insulator, but the problem is, having a safe that large, with real cement, will weigh the safe down too much for most people to be able to handle. Amsecs (with their BF series safes) Dry Light does not add to the security of the safe, so they need to have the thick steel for this.
There are UL rated fire safes, that actually use ceramic insulators on the market. You can’t say that about Dry Light. Amsec would have UL Fire tested their BF if that was the case.

Thanks for bringing these points up. I’ve done more research on the door seal question and included my results above in the article.

I also spent some time looking into your comments on AMSEC’s fire rating. According to a safe tech/dealer who reps AMSEC, today the BF gun safe concrete amalgamate called “DryLight” is the same the lining in the rest of the AMSEC fire safes. However, in AMSEC’s dealer catalog “DryLight” is only mentioned for the BF gun safes and VD vault doors. This may be left over from years ago when different mixtures were used, or for marketing purposes.

To double check whether there is a difference in the concrete amalgamate I did a calculation to compare the densities of the concrete mixtures. The dimensions of the steel layers and concrete fill are all published, so I first calculated the approximate steel weight. Then I backed out the approximate concrete weight and divided it by the volume to get the density. Since this is a rough calculation, there’s some variation in the results but it seems good enough. According to my numbers, there isn’t a significant difference in the lining density of the BF gun safe models compared to the smaller UL 72 rated BF models. This implies that it’s the same stuff.

Fire safes with concrete amalgamate firelinings use 3 laws of physics to protect the contents: Thermal Mass – The heavier the lining, the longer it will take to heat up. Unfortunately it also takes longer to cool down and turns into an oven. Thermal Conductivity – The lower thermal conductivity means better insulation. Latent Heat of Vaporization – Chemicals which undergo a phase change by releasing water absorb heat, as discussed in the Fire Myths page. These chemicals include gypsum, vermiculite, perlite, etc..

The stronger concrete is, the worse of an insulator and heavier it becomes. Lightweight concrete can have a thermal conductivity of only 0.1 W/m-K (lower means better insulator) and density of 1750 kg/m3. High strength concrete can have thermal conductivity of 1.8 W/m-K (1800% worse insulation), with a density above 2400 kg/m3 (40% heavier). Although concrete thermal mass and insulation properties go in opposite direction, the insulation gets better much faster than the mass gets worse.

Generally the additives added to concrete to make it lighter also make it a better insulator, including Vermiculite 0.058 W/m-K, Perlite 0.031 W/m-K, Fiberglass 0.04 W/m-K, and Sand 0.2 W/m-K. Vermiculite and Perilite add phase change fire protection, which makes them popular with fire safe manufacturers. Portland cement as you mentioned is a decent insulator at 0.29 kg/m3, but it’s also the most expensive component of concrete. Instead of adding more cement, fire safe manufactures generally use other additives to save money and add phase change protection. Fire safe manufacturers all have their own special blends for their concrete amalgamate.

I believe that AMSEC doesn’t fire test the BF gun safes because it knows they can’t meet UL 72 Class 350. The smaller BF home safes all have that rating, but only the smallest 3 can meet it for 1 hour. The largest BF3416 is only rated for 30 minutes. As the interior size gets bigger, the walls and fire lining thickness need to get bigger too to maintain the same protection. But as you mentioned, this would make the large BF gun safes extremely heavy, heavier than gun owners want at this price point.

I made a couple changes to the fireproofing description too based on your comments, thanks!

What about safes from sportsman steel safe. They seem to be quite impressive for bang for the buck, in terms of steel thickness, fireproofing, etc. could you provide your thoughts on them? http://www.sportsmansteelsafes.com/

Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for the question. Sportsman Steel does emphasize the important gun safe specs, like steel thickness, more than other manufacturers. They looked like a promising candidate for a recommendation. That is, until I heard accounts from customers.

Pretty consistently Sportsman Steel’s customers and potential customers have complained about high pressure sales tactics and bad customer service. After a couple dozen such stories I stopped researching them. I also found mixed reviews about their quality, but didn’t take the time to get to the bottom of them. There are enough companies out there making good gun safes that I didn’t want to steer anyone towards a vendor that had given a lot of people a bad experience. If you want to check out for yourself what some Sportsman Steel customers have said, start by checking the gun forums.

Hi, I want to buy a safe but this is way more information then I expected and all I want is one that can not be opened with a axe or crow bar, what one do you recommend that is the most cost saving as well Im looking for one that will have a few shelves and I do not need to use it for a shot gun or anything like this. I would like it to be fire resistant as this is normally efficient enough. What are your thoughts on Manual and electronic safes and which one safe that is about 3’w x 4′ or 5′ H is what Im looking for in black would be prefect. Thank you for your help. Annie

First off great articles on your site. Your research and knowledge on the subject matter shows. Because of that I wanted to ask you in regards to the Ironworks AF gun safe line. I was weighing between the AMSEC BF6030 and the Ironworks AF6033 (due to the esthetics) and wanted to see if you would weigh in on them. The one negative I have about the AMSEC is the bolt pattern is only 11 with a single at the top. This seems a bit odd and leaves the safe vulnerable to prying once either side of the doors bolts are cut thru from what I can tell (I could be wrong). Either way I’d love to see a review or comp of the Ironworks AF series safes especially compared to the AMSEC BF Gun safes line.

Hi there! I am putting some thought in the information you gave on your site. It is outstanding but overwhelming for someone like me. I want to buy a Christmas gift for my husband. I am the more informed buyer at our home and also the one who finds the best buys so my husband would be happy if I did my homework for him and got a decent safe and deal. I thought about the Security Safe Co. checking out what I buy from Craigslist like you mentioned in he article but I found this listing and I am not sure of the name – Can you advise me? I tried to google different names but did not find it.

Great info! There’s a Cannon Safe dealer in my area. They seem to push the fire rating pretty hard and the steel on the best ones is 10 gauge. The rest are 12 or 14 gauge. Not sure how gauge thickness compares to inches but many thanks for your help in my education process.

Very good information placed on this website. The only thing I would add is a comparison chart that would list the obvious between all the safes. Such as: price, weight, fire rating, customer service, size, warranty, quality, Consumer Report Rating, etc…

I really enjoyed the review of the Amsec. My question is on Customer service AFTER you make the purchase. I just bought a Cannon Armory and had it delivered on January 3 of this year. The safe has been defective since delivery and you can’t get customer service or anyone from Cannon to lift a finger to do anything. After nearly 2 months, I’ve had 2 locksmiths sent here from Cannon with either the wrong part or without lock code info to fix the piece of junk.. DON’T BUY A CANNON SAFE…..Go with Amsec or anyone else, just don’t buy Cannon.

Thank you so much. All I wanted was some more information on the AMSEC BF safe, and I got way more than I bargained for! I did see the AMSEC BF has a 4 gauge upgrade on the inner liner (which I found odd, why put the thick stuff on the inside until you talked about the inner layer for fire reasons). The one on AMSEC’s website did not work but I found a chart that worked below:

It seems like getting a gun safe is an important thing to have. Especially if you have children, having a place to lock up your guns will prevent accidents. Whenever my uncle gets back from a hunting trip the first thing he does is puts his guns away. http://safeswarehouse.com.au/shop/category/gun-safes

I own an older amsec 1990’s gun safe after seeing some drill attacks on Youtube I removed the inner door to see what the lock looked like it was very simple one locker from the combo. When I bought the safe in the 90’s I only owned a small collection but now over the years it is worth 20x what I paid for the safe. Now days with the cheap LCD borescope cameras sold at Harbor Fright it would be easy to drill a couple of holes and push the locker back and rotate the handle. What kind of protection on newer safes have been done to stop drill and scope attacks?

Thank you for the info I just have one question, I’ve already made the mistake of a Chinese gun safe in the past and know how important USA made is but I’ve heard a lot of good about Steel Water and love what you get for the price. Would you still advise against that safe?

Hello i have been researching safes for my home and along the way i was told the designer of the fort knox safes are the owners of champion safes which have a very similar build. Problem is i am not sure if this but the sales rep seemed to lay it out very well and said he will not say anything bad about any safe company. But it was good information.

My dad is really big into guns, and his birthday is coming up. I know he doesn’t have a good safe to put them in, and that is what I’m wanting to get him. That being said, I really appreciate you giving me some insight about this gun safe, and letting me know how reliable it is. I’ll be sure to check this out and see if it is something my dad would be interested in. Thanks for the help.

I spent 6 months reviewing safes and my ol lady finally decided that I can
upgrade from my small one that I had for 20 yrs.

Although I like the Sturdy Brand and enjoyed viewing the break in attempts
by the owner of SteelWater Safes…I realized two things…
For the amount of protection I wanted 7 ga min..with fireliner, inside 10 gauge stainless steel liner, hard plate upgrade, bolt down holes, over 6 ft tall…. It was gonna cost me a little over 5 K. And I could not afford a http://www.graffundersafes.com/
Because that safe would exceed the value of my goodies…

1. Buy Bigger than you need.
2. Remember RSC gun safes are just that…a container you store all your stuff into they can look pretty and have a cool inside with lights and all kind of nice features but in the end they are rated 5 min for break-ins.

So this is what I did…
I think it might of been a little overkill with a 2 hr fireproof rating and
pretty much Burglar Resistant for 30 min…
So I ended up with a USED Jeweler/Pawn Shop Safe that was pro
moved and installed. This is a TL 30×6 safe with two dial combos. That means all 6 sides have the same strength and steel around. (Not Just the door) There are a few of these safes that come to mind, Surrimax ,Mosler, Amsec ,Kaso ,ISM, and Mutual…some like Bernardini are nice but are not made anymore.
My safe has two group 2 combo dials..They are independent of each other…wish they were group ONE but
it was too expensive to redo, and just not needed.
It has glass in the frame which If and when drilled, will set off some relockers.
The safe weighs 2 tons and I cemented it in. Now to be honest, a safe is to
deter the common crack head from getting at your stuff. Any Safe can be broken into given time. (Mine is not torch resistant) Please look up any safe TRTL 30×6 for the next model up from mine. A vault at your bank for instance is usually a TRTL 120..with time lock/cameras/Alarms. Just to show you they broke into some vaults in the UK that was holding millions in diamonds over a holiday weekend.for a tuesday Jewelery show. and .the badguys did leave a $5000 drill, to show you what it took to break in.

Anyway
Most home break-ins happen within 7 min and
these people are in and out before your police are dispatched and show up.
You want to minimize the time these bad guys have breaking into your house.
So in addition to my ADT system/Motion and a DVR with Cameras all over,
the best thing you can do is NOT advertise your goodies.

Hi. I’m at the framing stage of building a house and am considering a true safe (Graffunder or Amsec or just getting a vault door (same companies) and building a room out of cement (like 6″ thick Fox Blocks ICF). The room would have the advantage of size, tornado shelter, panic room, etc, but would 6″ of concrete be even close to a door of a true safe regarding theft protection? If not, how much concrete would you estimate it would take so that the walls were equivalent in theft prevention? Thank you. Great article!

Excellent and informative.
I would like your opinion on a Liberty Fatboy, not the Jr., but the biggest safe! Compare it to the Amsec and the many other large safes please!
I have read numerous comments by many manufacturer people as well as dealers, the entire issue has me baffled!
The Fatboy has 14 locking bolts, two top and bottom and five each side, it has no exposed hinges, and the higher models offer more and larger diameter bolts, longer they claim then competitors, steel gauges shown are also heavier, fire resistance is up to 2.5 hours, but the temperature seems low, anyway, please comment! I live 20 miles from Amsec, will purchase very soon, and have delivered inside and bolted to a concrete floor!
I have a substantial weapons collection, some top end collector editions, so I Am seeking a high quality, very secure safe. The collection is inherited, but not in my home as yet, so until I get a good quality safe, I will not be a target for criminals seeking my weapons!
My knife set is actually worth more then the gun set! I will be purchasing four of the same safes, for Long Guns (2) with ammo and other valuables, for handguns (1) with ammo and knives, for knives (1) with other valuables, and for several collectible weapons (1)
All will be located in several different locations within my home, no two in the same location!
Both fire and theft are my concerns, since many insurance companies are getting extremely tight on covering guns in California!
Please let me know your comments!

In the fire protection section, it’s sounds like you are saying the BF3416 has the same type of insulator as the Amsec BF (larger) gun safes, but it doesn’t use DryLight as an insulator at all. It’s a different type of fill from what I gather. If it’s not DryLight, why mention the BF3416 like it’s something to be compared?
Looks like Sturdy offers thicker doors with some packages now too.
This article was very informative though. Thank you.

Hi,
Looks like that isn’t your real email so you probably won’t see this, but I wanted to respond.

AMSEC used to be cagey about admitting that the same DryLight fill was used on the BF true safes and BF gun safes. A couple years ago a reader and I were discussing it. After thinking about it, I actually took two models, calculated the weight of all the steel, and approximated the density of the fills from the total weight. The BF gun safe fill was very close to the same density as the UL 72 rated BF safe I chose. From then on I claimed they were the same. A couple years later AMSEC now advertises that the BF gun safe uses DryLight in promo videos.

You’re right about the Sturdy options changing. AMSEC also now offers a HD option which coincidentally increases the inner liner up to the same thickness as Sturdy’s optional outer liner. I’ve been updating all the information.
Cheers,
Jaime

Excellent and complete write up. Thank you! Understanding that AmSec and Sturdy are great, how do you feel about the Champion Crown with the Delta Force doors? 3/16′ bodies, multiple relockers, 3/8″ steel panel on outer door with 10 gauge inner liner. 1900+ lbs for the 65 cu foot model. Seems competitive but you have a keen eye for differences…very interested in your opinion

Do you have an opinion on Heritage. I have a mid size one now only because it was the largest that we could get into our basement (not a walk in). We are building a new home and I am considering there top of the line safe which weighs over 1 ton. I do want fire protection, but mostly vandal protection as we are building on our farm and the home will not be visible from other homes. Thank you for a reply.

Hi Kirk,
Thanks for your comment! I reviewed this article and realized that I had written things on other pages that weren’t clear here. Since a lot of people reach this page first, I elaborated. I was also mentally averaging my BF/Sturdy burglary rating between the base and optional upgrades. I’ve now separated them. In general on this site, I try to avoid pointing out specific ways that products can be defeated. Once that information is published in a YouTube video though, there’s no reason not to discuss it. I included your video above.

The second video does appear to be an AMSEC BF linkage. I don’t disagree that the chrome locking bolts are cosmetic features, and that fixed hinge-side bolts are preferable. I also pointed out advantages of the Sturdy bolt work. However, the video is a little misleading. For one, the Sturdy bolt work is stronger because it has to be. The BF has a 1/2″ plate steel door. A rigid door in a rigid frame takes less strength to hold closed. In the beginning of the video, notice that Terry points out that the true safe has a 1-1/2″ (1.5000″) plate door and 1″ (1.0000″) plate walls. The Sturdy is much better than the majority of gun safes, but their base door is still 25% thinner than the BF. BTW, I’m not saying that this is a bad tradeoff to make at this price point, but it’s worth saying. Neither has a solid steel door frame, but the BF has true composite construction a cast fill. Also to be fair, the Sturdy bolt work itself is somewhat of a cosmetic feature. It looks similar to some true safe models, but has significant differences. For one, the bolts are not hardened. Most true safes don’t have pretty bolt work. It’s designed to keep the door shut, be serviceable, and reliable.

I see what you mean. Brown included AMSEC BF6636HD in the RSC section, but some of the text refers to the non-HD option. Then they included Sturdy 3224-6 in the True Safe section. This looks like some creative marketing. AMSEC is one of their primary competitors, so they may be taking some liberties…

True safe, a phrase Brown also uses on that page, does have a specific meaning. Insurance companies specify the construction and ratings of safes before they will insure the contents. Generally a B-Rate or higher is required for any commercial application. Sturdy makes good products which fit a specific market niche well. However, they have never had their units independently tested for any rating, so they technically shouldn’t even be listed in the RSC section. AMSEC on the other hand has products from RSCs to fire safes to true safes. Many of those products compete directly with Brown, including one of the only other TL-rated gun safes. The BF HD version does meet the composite definition of a B-Rate safe.
Cheers,
Jaime

I bought a Sturdy around 2004-5 after seeing their photos of a Sturdy standing on the empty slab of a burn-down. The safe was allowed to cool, then opened. There were Ruger pistol boxes inside, undamaged. Ruger pistol boxes are made of recycled milk jugs, they begin to ‘slump’ and distort at low temp, 242 F IIRC. Seems like a nice bit of info to pass on as regards their FP design.